There has long been a need for protecting buildings against winds and flying debris that arise during hurricanes, and other storm conditions. There are several modes of destruction of structures by very high winds, including: (1) a lifting of roof parts, or other parts, usually on the leeward side followed by collapse due to wind pressures; (2) bit by bit destruction due to loss of roof corners, edges, overhangs, or projecting parts on any side; (3) breaking windows; (4) partial loss of wall integrity resulting in water damage internally to a structure, and (5) destruction of the building envelope from glass breakage resulting in wind and water damage. Further, wind pressure on doors jeopardizes safe entrance and exit of fire stations, shelter facilities, hospitals and command centers.
Earliest efforts to address this need include securing windows with plywood. To our knowledge, there has not been an adequate way of protecting entrances from wind pressure allowing egress.
The present invention is an easy to use windscreen, or hurricane protection device which can be easily put up or taken down which provides the advantages of securing windows and doors, while protecting the integrity of a structure from water, as well as protecting a structure from breakage of windows due to flying debris.
Current systems include plywood, corrugated metal, and roller shutters. These systems do not allow applicable protection to large expanses of glass or large doors. As they mount directly to walls, they do not allow egress behind them, which is desirable at entries and exits.
Accordingly, the present invention has been developed which does not use individual anchors on the building to secure attachment of screen, but uses a track system which provides a more shared load across more space than the traditional anchored windscreens. Attaching loops on tags and straps on bottom are placed in from edge allowing space for securing and cinching while leaving a skirt of screen to provide full coverage.
The object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for protecting a building, a house, and other structures against damaging winds and flying debris utilizing a track, porous fabric sheet, slideable connectors and anchoring means to the ground.
A further object of the present invention is to provide adjustable protection for the structure against damage from wind-borne objects that might otherwise be driven against the building by enabling the fabric sheet to be angled from the building at a wide choice of angles.
The invention utilizes strap like webbing sewn into the fabric sheet, reinforcing the connectors to the track, and providing connections for anchoring the sheet, such as to the ground, forming a protective xe2x80x9cwindscreen.xe2x80x9d The windscreen sheet is preferably a commercially available knit or woven polyethylene or polypropylene fabric, other similar coarse fabric (xe2x80x9cthe sheetxe2x80x9d), but may be vinyl coated mesh fabric, a strong polymer base fabric, a laminated fabric, or combinations thereof.
A further benefit of the invention is that the sheet will stop debris from contacting the vertical surfaces of the structure and yet have ease of installation and take down which enable the windscreen to be installed by only one person.